GOOD: Retired LEO Won't Be Charged - Danville, IL

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DANVILLE — A resident doesn’t need to be attacked first to have the right ...

GOOD: Retired LEO Won't Be Charged - Danville, IL

DANVILLE — A resident doesn’t need to be attacked first to have the right to defend himself, according to Illinois state law.

The issue of self defense arose this week when retired longtime police officer Max “Mick” Taylor, 58, of Indianola shot and killed two intruders in his home Monday night.

Taylor shot the men, one of whom was holding a shotgun, after the men forced their way in and began to strangle him with their hands.

Vermilion County Sheriff Pat Hartshorn said use of deadly force is authorized when people feel their life or another person’s life is in jeopardy or they are about to receive great bodily harm.

The key in such situations is threat. Statutes indicate a person only must “reasonably believe” their lives or safety is in danger.

“People need to understand that the threat of danger is a serious matter,” Hartshorn said, adding that an offender’s actions have to create the idea of danger.

The sheriff noted he did not believe the incident would cause a jump in local residents opting for firearms to protect themselves.

The issue of what qualifies as self defense became more important Wednesday with the release of new details in the shooting. Hartshorn confirmed that the shotgun carried by one of the suspects during the home invasion was not loaded during the incident.

Hartshorn said, looking at the gun, it is impossible to tell whether the shotgun has a shell in it

Vermilion County State’s Attorney Randy Brinegar said Wednesday he continues to review all reports from the sheriff’s department, but at this point he does not believe there will be any charges filed against Taylor as a result of the shootings.

Brinegar noted that the shotgun without shells has been taken into account up to this point.

The identities of the two suspects were confirmed by the Vermilion County Coroner’s Office, naming 22-year-old Thomas Moore of Georgetown and Peter Chromyn II, 17, of Tilton as the two men killed in the failed home invasion.

The coroner’s office indicated Chromyn, who was holding the shotgun at the time he was shot, died from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest. Moore died of a single gunshot wound, also to the chest.

The final autopsy report will not be complete until toxicology tests results are returned.

Moore and Chromyn were dropped off at the Taylor home just outside of Indianola as part of a planned robbery. The suspects, Hartshorn said, were under the impression the homeowners had money in the two-story home. The men demanded to know where the safe was when they attacked Taylor.

The men followed Taylor’s wife upstairs when she offered them her jewelry. At that point, Taylor retrieved a handgun from inside the bedroom and shot Chromyn as he was leveling the shotgun at Taylor.

The third suspect in the case, Zachary Spencer, 17, of Georgetown was arraigned in circuit court on two counts of home invasion. Bond for Spencer was set at $100,000.

The charges, both Class X felonies, have maximum punishments of 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. One of the charges also carries special penalties with it, adding to the potential maximum prison time.

Spencer, who dropped off Moore and Chromyn at the Taylor home, was arrested by Vermilion County deputies two blocks away.

This was in Illinois too! I'm surprised the regime in Chicago didn't put this homeowner underneath the jail for his terrible actions. We have gun laws you know!

Sarcasm aside, this just shows that gun laws do work, for the criminal that is. The pond scum home invader got everything he deserved. Thanks to this homeowner, one more bad guy is taking an eternal dirt nap.

It's sad when this guy did everything right in this case (Mr. Taylor) and the thought of him even being brought up on charges or any kind is sad. Sounds like he knew exactly what had to be done and thankfully he and his wife are safe and the BG's got what they deserved. Kudos to him.

It's sad when this guy did everything right in this case (Mr. Taylor) and the thought of him even being brought up on charges or any kind is sad. Sounds like he knew exactly what had to be done and thankfully he and his wife are safe and the BG's got what they deserved. Kudos to him.

BTW -- Does Illinois have a capital murder law, or equivalent -- i.e., can the accomplice be charged with the murder of his accomplices for committing a felony which resulted in a death. Maybe, those are the charges that need to be brought.

Heres the part that makes me go DUH,In Tx they break thru my door and they can be shot,In Illinois they are strangling him before he shoots them and they are saying he doesn't have to be assaulted to defend himself?HE WAS BEING ASSAULTED WITH GREAT BODILY HARM

They were good boys. They were turning their lives around and the evidence supports this. Last week that shotgun would have been loaded - this week, the week they started becoming good wholesome boys again, it wasn't loaded.

I say the detective is vigilante scum, who keeps loaded guns in the house for no other purpose than to kill 17 to 22 year-old kids who might be inside it. Did he have to shoot multiple times? Why couldn't he just relax and take his strangulation like a real man? I'll bet he joined the police force so he could shoot people.

This is a such a tragedy. Those were kind-hearted kids with a bright future that would most definitely include a loving wife, dozens of kind beautiful children, a big beige house with a white picket fence, and holiday parties filled with joy and laughter. They were only breaking into houses so they could pay for the ridiculously overpriced college tuition costs where they hoped to get their masters degrees in Communication and Business and later get high-paying jobs in any number of respected industries. I think these boys families should receive money from the colleges - the colleges should pay millions!

They were on the way ... they were almost there, and they were plucked from this horrid earth by this renegade cop and his live-in hussy.

I would certainly have done the same. Somebody enters my house with a shotgun and I will put them out of action very quickly. Well done.

Enters your home/residence period, shotgun or not, and acts threatening with intent to rob or harm or terrorize you. In my book that's 'just cause'.

This is a cut and dry good shoot case.
There should have been know discussion otherwise.

Whether the shotgun was actually loaded or not is of no consequence. Even if by some odd occurrence with Superman style X-Ray vision that either resident might have known/detected that the shotgun was empty. It still remains a means of doing immediate real harm (as an impact weapon!) and as being held was being used to terrorize. Use of a firearm in commission of a crime is typically an automatic felony. Home invasion is with or without a firearm is typically a felony crime as well.
Use of deadly force to prevent/stop a felony crime of violence in specific is typically lawful.